Family:Whitney, Benjamin (1643-1723)

Benjamin² Whitney (John¹), son of John¹ and Elinor (-----) Whitney,^[1] was born 6 Jun 1643, Watertown, MA,^[2] and died 26 Mar 1723, Sherborn, MA.^[3] He was buried in Sherborn Center Cemetery.^[4]

Benjamin married firstly, about 1668, possibly York, ME, Jane -----.^[5] Her parentage and birth are unknown. She died on 14 Nov 1690, Sherborn, MA.^[6] He was buried in Sherborn Center Cemetery.^[7]

He, "of Framingham," married secondly, 13 Apr 1696, Marlborough, MA, Mary Poor "of Marlborough."^[8] Her parentage, birth, and death are all unknown.

He was taxed at Cocheco, NH, 1667-1668; appears on a list take from Dover Town Records.^[9]

"1. BENJAMIN, tailor, Dover, York, b. at Watertown 6 June 1643, s. of John and Elinor. Taxed Cochecho 1666. In Mar. 1670-1 he sold to a br. the int. in the Watert. homestead given him by his fa. in the hope he would return to it. York 1672, gr.j. 1679 O. A. Mar 1679-80. A 10 a. gr. was laid out to him by Phillip Cooper's on which he had liv. "these several yrs." when he and w. Jane sold, with ano. 10 a., to Jonathan Sayward 24 Mar. 1684-5. York wit. 1686 (Y. D. 4: 159).

"Of Sherborn 1687 where w. Jane d. 14 Mar. 1690. Of Framingham, he m. 2d at Marlboro 11 Apr 1695 Mary Poore; d. at Sherborn 1723. Ch. appear: JANE, b. at Watert. 29 Sept. 1669, m. Jonathan Morse in Mass. BENJAMIN, Framingham, m. in Boston 7 Aug 1795 Esther Maverick, wid. of James. JONATHAN, Sherborn. JOHN, York, had 20 a. gr. 1714, liv. near Braveboat Harbor 1724, at Kit. 1732. LIst 291. He m. 1st Lettice Ford (4); ch. at York Mar. 1704-5 - May 1719; Mary Samuel, Elizabeth, Mercy, Mehitabel, John, and "Old Kittery" adds Benjamin b. 22 May 1725 (see Hist. of Brunswick, p. 760). He m. 2d at Kit. 14 Jan. 1730 Susannah (Barton 5) Smith. NATHANIEL, weaver, b. at York 14 Apr. 1680, of Kit. bot. in York 1708, York gr. 1713 "late of York" bot there 1717, depos in May 1731 ab. the land John Ford liv. on. List 279. He m. Sarah Ford(4). Ch. rec. Jan 1706-7 - Mar 1729-30; Nathan (see Presbury 3), Nathaniel, Abel, Sarah, Isaac, Amos, Lydia, Joanna. JOSHUA, b. at Sherborn 21 Sept. 1687."^[10]

"It appears by the Registry of Deeds, Vol.III, p. 451-2, that he first settled in York, Me., and in 1668, his father desired him to leave York, and settle with him on the homestead during his lifetime, promising him his house, and barn, and all his land about home (about 17 acres, bounded N. by John Sherman; E. and S. by William Bond; W. by Martin Underwood), which promise he confirmed by a deed, dated Ap. 5, 1670. Mar. 9, 1670-1, Benjamin and wife Jane, with the consent of his father, sells to his brother Joshua, for £40, his right in his father's homestead, obtained as above stated. He probably moved to Sherburne soon after the above sale. He m. (probably in York), JANE -----, who d. in Sherburne, Nov. 14, 1690. [See Barry, p. 437] Only the births of 2 chil. are recorded, one of whom was born in Watertown. It is possible that he had other children born in York, or Sherburne, and perhaps Benjamin, of Fram., was his eldest child."^[11]

"The first record I can find of Benjamin in Maine is in 1662-6-8 he witnessed at York an agreement of John DOVES, He was at Cocheco, Me., near Dover, in 1667-8. April 13, 1674. The selectmen of York laid out 10 acres of upland to Benjamin. His father desired that he should return to Watertown and settle with him on the homestead during his lifetime, promising him his house and barn and all his land about home if Benjamin would do so. This property consisted of about 17 acres, bounded by land of John SHERMAN, William BOND and Martin UNDERWOOD, which promise John confirmed by deed April 15, 1670. Benjamin and Jane, March 9, 1671, with the consent of their father John, sold to his brother Joshua for £40 his right in his father's estate ("the mansion house of John WHITNEY") obtained as above stated. As will be seen by this Benjamin did not then return to Watertown, but continued to reside in York.

"In 1685 Benjamin and Jane WHITNEY, of York, sell to Jonathan SAYWOOD for £10 and 14s, "a certain tract and parcel of land which I have improved, possessed and have builded a small tenant upon ----- these several years," which was granted by the town of York in 1680, and ten other acres granted by the town of York in 1674, as stated above. It is probable that his wife died about this time and soon after, leaving his young children with relatives of his wife, he returned to Watertown and soon located in Sherborn, near the Natick town line. He married his second wife in Marlboro in 1695 and lived on land belonging to Harvard College, which he leased of Gov. DANFORTH. In 1718 he received a legacy of 10s, per annum from his nephew, Benjamin, son of his brother Jonathan. He d. in 1723, res. York and Cocheco, Me., and Sherborn, Mass."^[12]

He "s. first at Saco, 2d at Watertown, and 3d at S., where his w. d. Nov. 14, 1690. As Benjamin, senr., he drew land at Doug., 1715."^[13]

He was mentioned in his father's will on 3 Apr 1673 Watertown, MA.^[14]

Children of Benjamin² and Jane (-----) Whitney:

i.	Jane³ Whitney, b. 29 Sep 1669 at Watertown, MA;^[15] m. Jonathan Morse.
ii.	Benjamin Whitney, b. circa 1670 at prob. York, Maine; m. Esther (-----) Maverick.
iii.	Timothy Whitney, b. circa 1672 at York, Maine In 1703 he, with his brothers John and Nathaniel, was a member of the company in York raised for the defense against the Indians, commanded by Capt. Preble."^[16] "This company comprised the flower of York, or the young men of that date." No further record found.
iv.	Elinor Whitney, b. circa 1675, prob. York, ME; d. after 9 Apr 1754.
v.	John Whitney, b. circa 1678, York, ME; m.(1) Letty Ford; d. after 1739; m.(2) Anne Bratt; m.(3) Susannah Barton.
vi.	Nathaniel Whitney, b. 14 Apr 1680, York, ME;^[17] d. circa 1768 at Gorham, ME; m. Sarah Ford.
vii.	Jonathan Whitney, b. 1681, prob. York, ME; m. Susannah Fairbanks.
viii.	(prob.) Josiah Whitney, b. circa 1683; m. Merriam Barrett.
ix.	Joshua Whitney, b. 21 Sep 1687, Sherborn, MA;^[18] m. Hannah Rockett.

Children of Benjamin² and Mary (Poor) Whitney:

i.	Mark³ Whitney, b. circa 1700, Framingham, MA; m. Tabitha Mellen.
ii.	Isaac Whitney, b. circa 1702; m. Elizabeth Bridges.
iii.	Huldah Whitney, b. circa 1704; m. Zachariah Morse.

References

1.^ His parentage is established by his birth record, deeds, and his mention in his father's will.

2.^ "Benjamin, s. John & Elinor Whitney, b. 6 (4) 1643," according to Watertown Records, Comprising the First and Second Book of Town Proceedings, with the Land Grants and Possessions. Also, the Proprietors' Book, and the First Book of and Supplement of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Watertown, MA: Historical Society, 1894}, p. 31.

3.^ "Benjamin [Whitney], [died] Mar. 26, 1723," according to Thomas W. Baldwin, ed., Vital Records of Sherborn, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston, MA: 1911).

4.^ Find A Grave memorial #112990642, Benjamin Whitney.

5.^ The marriage occurred before the birth of their oldest child. That it may have been in York, Maine, is a reasonable guess, but only a guess. Her given name is revealed in the birth record of two of her children, and her death record. The suggestion that her maiden name was Poor is not substantiated by any credible evidence. Find A Grave says she was born 29 Sep 1648, Watertown, MA, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Farnum) Poor, and that the marriage occurred 19 Jan 1668. There is no such record in the vital records of Watertown, MA, or of York, ME. This seems to be in error, and at best should be treated as clue material only.

6.^ "Jane [Whitney], w. of Benjamin, [died] Nov. 14, 1690," according to Sherborn Vital Records.

7.^ Find A Grave memorial #114176009, Jane Poor Whitney.

8.^ "Benjamin [Whitney] and Mary Poor of Marlboro, [married] Apr. 13, 1696, in Marlboro," according to Vital Records of Framingham, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston, MA: 1911), p. 397; also, "Benjamin [Whitney] of Framingham and Mary Poor, [married] Apr. 13, 1696," according to Franklin P. Rice, ed., Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (1908), p. 326.

9.^ Quint, Rev. Alonzo H., "Genealogical Items relating to the Early Settlers of Dover, N. H.", NEHGR, vol. IX, (1855), p. 58.

10.^ Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby, and Walter Goodwin Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1996), page 750.

11.^ Henry Bond, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Including Waltham and Weston (2nd ed., Watertown, MA: 1860), p. 645.

12.^ Frederick C. Pierce, The Descendants of John Whitney (Chicago, IL: 1895), p. 27.

13.^ Rev. Abner Morse, Genealogical Register of The Inhabitants and History of the Towns of Sherborn and Holliston (Boston: Damrell & Moore, 1856), p. 257.

14.^ Middlesex County, Massachusetts, probate file #24,680.

15.^ "Jane Whettny, d. Benjamin & Jane Whettny, b. 29 7mo 1669," according to Watertown Records, p. 32.

16.^ Pierce, loc. cit.

17.^ "Nathaniel Whitney the father of these was born in York to [blank] Whitney by his Wife April. 14 1680," according to Lester MacKenzie Bragdon and John E. Frost, Vital Records of York, Maine, prior to 1892 (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 1992).